Get your costumes ready, bust out the glitter and prepare to light up the streets of the Mother City in song and dance for the 2017 Cape Town Carnival! The next carnival will be held on 18 March 2017 with a theme perfectly suited to South Africa’s 2 500 km pristine coastline: AMAZA! Ocean Odyssey.

Brad Baard, the Creative Director of the Cape Town Carnival, says the theme is significant for a number of reasons, including the wide variety of creative choices it offers as well as bringing attention to the plight of our oceans. ‘We hope to inspire people to look after this amazing, life-giving source.’

The carnival, which attracts more than 50 000 spectators from across the globe, proudly acknowledges the role of community groups and small businesses that are involved in the carnival. From costume production and event services to merchandise and food and beverage vendors, the city gets their hands dirty for a night of fun and fantasy. ‘Besides the fun and creativity, the Cape Town Carnival has become an important job-creation platform,’ says Councillor Eddie Andrews, the City of Cape Town’s newly elected Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development. ‘It provides skills-training opportunities […] and gives many people a much-needed opportunity during these tough economic times.’

Sponsors for the 2017 event include the City of Cape Town, the National Department of Arts and Culture, M-Net, DStv, the Western Cape Government, Tsogo Sun, Media24 and KFM.